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About OSPIRG Foundation

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH & EDUCATION

OSPIRG Foundation conducts research and public education on behalf of consumers and the public interest. Our research, analysis, reports and outreach serve as counterweights to the influence of powerful special interests that threaten our health, safety or well-being.

With public debate around important issues often dominated by special interests pursuing their own narrow agendas, OSPIRG Foundation offers an independent voice that works on behalf of the public interest. OSPIRG Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, works to protect consumers and promote good government. We investigate problems, craft solutions, educate the public, and offer meaningful opportunities for civic participation.

STANDING UP FOR THE PUBLIC ON HEALTH CARE

As our leaders put the health care reform law into practice, we’re working to promote a more competitive health insurance marketplace that lowers costs for consumers.

PUTTING PUBLIC HEALTH AHEAD OF BIG AG

One in three school-age kids are overweight or obese, yet our government is wasting $16 billion each year on subsidies for sugar-laden, high-fat foods.

CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLES

Corporate tax dodgers cost taxpayers $100 billion last year. That’s why OSPIRG Foundation is working to close the loopholes that allow ExxonMobil, Bank of America and others to shift profits overseas to avoid paying their taxes.

THE FEDERATION OF STATE PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUPS

OSPIRG Foundation is an independent, state-based, citizen-funded organization that advocates for the public interest and is a member of U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

Since 1970, state PIRGs have delivered results-oriented citizen activism, stood up to powerful special interests, and used the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, and litigation to win real results on issues that matter.

Across the country, state PIRGs employ close to 400 organizers, policy analysts, scientists and attorneys, and are active in 47 states, with a federal office in Washington, D.C. On national issues that impact our state, we also coordinate our efforts, pool resources, and share expertise so that we can have the biggest impact — here at home and for the country at large.

OSPIRG Foundation Staff - A Partial ListOSPIRG Foundation is an advocate for the public interest. When consumers are cheated, or the voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by special interest lobbyists, OSPIRG Foundation speaks up and takes action. We uncover threats to public health and well-being and fight for the public interest.

What's New

Since 2010, close scrutiny of health insurance rate hikes has cut over $80 million in waste and unjustified costs from health insurance premiums in Oregon, according to an OSPIRG Foundation report released today. The report also identifies changes to Oregon’s rate review program that would effectively tackle the biggest driver of costs: waste in the health care delivery system.

Since 2010, close scrutiny of health insurance rate hikes has cut over $80 million in waste and unjustified costs from health insurance premiums in Oregon, according to a new OSPIRG Foundation report. The report also identifies changes to Oregon’s rate review program that would effectively tackle the biggest driver of costs: waste in the health care delivery system.

With Oregon facing tough budget choices, OSPIRG Foundation, joined by Main Street Alliance, released a new study revealing that the State of Oregon lost an estimated $506 million due to offshore tax dodging in 2012. Many of America’s wealthiest individuals and largest corporations use tax loopholes to shift profits made in America to offshore tax havens, where they pay little to no taxes.

When U.S. corporations and wealthy individuals use offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes, it is an abuse of our tax system. This new report reveals that the State of Oregon lost an estimated $506 million due to offshore tax dodging in 2012.

The City of Portland received a grade of “D-” for spending transparency, according to a new report released today by OSPIRG Foundation. The report reviews Portland’s progress toward comprehensive, one-stop, one-click budget accountability and accessibility.

I own a small business in Sunriver and have driven to Salem many times over the years to provide state officials with a small-business perspective about Oregon's health insurance exchange. Those trips weren't convenient, but I did it because the exchange is so important to small businesses like mine.

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As America moves toward construction of new high-speed rail networks in regions throughout the country, we have much to learn from experiences abroad. High-speed rail lines have operated for more than 45 years in Japan and for three decades in Europe, providing a wealth of information about what the United States can expect from high-speed rail and how we can receive the greatest possible benefits from our investment.

The recently passed federal health care reform law will make significant changes in how health insurance and health care work for consumers, businesses, and local and state governments, as well as how insurers and providers operate. But whether Americans experience improved care, lower costs and greater access depends largely on what happens next.

For decades, political pressures have often led to policies and projects that favor new highway expansion while neglecting existing infrastructure that is in serious need of repair. We need stronger “fix-it-first” policies that prioritize repair and maintenance of our existing roads and bridges rather than spending on needless and wasteful new highway capacity.